Blog Archives

Documents obtained by VICE News show the RCMP watched closely as Indigenous protesters erected a teepee on Parliament Hill this summer, with the force’s national protective intelligence unit believing activists could disrupt Canada Day celebrations, and that the ceremony attended by communists “may not remain peaceful.” Read the rest of this entry →

In January 2017, Public Safety Canada (PS) disclosed that the Government Operations Centre (GOC) gathers information on Indigenous rallies for the purpose of “maintaining awareness” of events that may impact the safety and security of Canadians and events effecting the national interest. According to PS, the information gathered consisted generally of the date, location and purpose of the protests and rallies, including in relation to missing and murdered Indigenous women. Natural Resources Canada also reported that they monitor publicly available information such as Twitter, Facebook and media reports regarding protest activities that may impact the department, its employees or facilities. Read the rest of this entry →

Nalcor’s use of court injunctions and the government’s approval of RCMP deployment to quell resistance to Muskrat Falls are common tactics used to remove Indigenous people from their lands and facilitate resource development, says Shiri Pasternak. Read the rest of this entry →

Winnipeg Transit has handed over the private travel history of bus riders to law enforcement without requiring a warrant, CBC News has learned.

City officials confirmed that on four occasions since March of 2017, Winnipeg police have requested the data generated through the use of Peggo cards for a specific passenger to assist with an investigation. Read the rest of this entry →

Police arrest a protester against the Dakota Access Pipeline near Cannonball, North Dakota, December 2016.

by Alleen Brown, Will Parrish, and Alice Speri, The Intercept, May 27, 2017

A shadowy international mercenary and security firm known as TigerSwan targeted the movement opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline with military-style counterterrorism measures, collaborating closely with police in at least five states, according to internal documents obtained by The Intercept. The documents provide the first detailed picture of how TigerSwan, which originated as a U.S. military and State Department contractor helping to execute the global war on terror, worked at the behest of its client Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the Dakota Access Pipeline, to respond to the indigenous-led movement that sought to stop the project. Read the rest of this entry →

This is the first installment in a two-part investigative series on governments, spies, and the oil and gas industry to be published by the National Observer

By Bruce Livesey, National Observer, May 5 2017

“Mr. Tremblay, do you remember me?”

Ron Tremblay was just walking out of the Lord Beaverbrook hotel when a young woman in a dark-blue pantsuit approached him. The Lord Beaverbrook is a beige, unremarkable edifice that sits in downtown Fredericton, kitty-corner to the New Brunswick legislature. On this summer morning last August, a panel of Canada’s federal energy regulator, the National Energy Board (NEB), was holding hearings at the hotel about the proposed Energy East pipeline – which is designed to carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta to New Brunswick’s port city of Saint John.

Fellow water protectors should think carefully and act responsibly when posting any information about themselves or others – because the authorities are watching

by Tara Houska, Indian Country Media Network, April 17, 2017

The fight against Dakota Access is not over. Court battles continue, divestment efforts have pulled billions from the company, and resistance all over Turtle Island is ongoing. But while we, water protectors, stand up for the future generations, a massive strategy by state and federal law enforcement seeks to repress and destroy us.

An IMSI catcher pretends to be a cellphone tower to attract nearby cell signals. When it does, it can intercept the unique ID number associated with your phone, the International Mobile Subscriber Identity, or IMSI. That number can then be used to track your phone. (CBC)

Unprecedented briefing with reporters comes in wake of CBC investigation into illegal spying in Ottawa

The RCMP for the first time is publicly confirming it uses cellphone surveillance devices in investigations across Canada — but at the same time says the potential of unauthorized snooping in Ottawa, as reported by CBC News, poses a threat to national security. Read the rest of this entry →

Two secret reports on Standing Rock obtained by VICE News show the Canadian spy agency has been monitoring the protest camps and acts of pipeline sabotage in the U.S. and believes they have Canadian implications. Read the rest of this entry →

WikiLeaks claims the CIA has developed malware to eavesdrop through cellphones, and that it can bypass the encryption on apps including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

Leaks suggest spies can bypass encryption of messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram